ImInPA

Really? PAM is pure vegetable oil. It is totally harmless, but, it is excellent for this purpose. It is practically invisible and wahses off completely with a regular car wash. Have done this for about 35 years. Another advantage is that it prevents the bugs from etching into the paint or having to "scrub" them off. Wax is good for protection, but, the impact of the bug itself at highway speeds makes the wax coating mute. I use it on my motorcycle's farings as well.

K-A

Interesting. I admit I don't know what "Pam" is, so I don't have an actual basis to judge it off of. I've always just been scared to put anything on my car that isn't essentially designed for cars. Seems to be a good secret though.

I do spend a good amount of time after each long drive scrubbing off dead bugs from my car, which isn't fun.

El Cid

Stay away from concrete trucks and newly poured concrete (sidewalks and roads both) as much as possible. A few years ago I picked up some concrete/cement splatters on the side of my car and did not notice until I went to wash it several weeks later. It had become embedded in the paint itself. Concrete/cement does this. Had to repaint entire side of car.

Westwind

I am back, yet I have not opened the Manual so still scratching my head. Promise, I will look this up. In the mean time, I did try different things. One was to press the Mute button when voice came up - It did either of two things: If my iPod was playing, it placed that on mute. If iPod was on mute, it started singing like there is no tomorrow.

I also went into Nav Settings, but it could be my ignorance, but I could not find a thing on turning Voice commands off.

Like I said, I am going to dig the Manual on my free time as it is not an emergency anymore and figure this out.

One more thing I forgot to mention: The Multi-contour seat. I would run the Massage every few hours, and let it run until it stops automatically. It may sound so cliche, but it does work when you need it. The trick it to push hard back on the seat while its working its way up or down. That helped a lot. Also, since I was the only driver, I programmed my seat to all 3 available settings to different positions, the first one being my most comfortable one. And from time to time, I would switch back and forth with them. This allowed me to change the 'scenario' if you will, and get rid of the monotony.

Pam spray? Worth considering.

LaicepsYdobon

The reason why the steering shook in the 2010 is because of the Lane Depature warning part of the Driver's Assist Package. If you cross the dotted lines the steering will vibrate. If you cross a solid line the car will pull you back gentrly. In both cars the Attention Assist (coffee cup) will just chirp angrily at you and display a message on the screen.

Good writeup of your trip. Glad it went smooth.

Westwind

[quote=LaicepsYdobon;4620997]The reason why the steering shook in the 2010 is because of the Lane Depature warning part of the Driver's Assist Package. If you cross the dotted lines the steering will vibrate. If you cross a solid line the car will pull you back gentrly. In both cars the Attention Assist (coffee cup) will just chirp angrily at you and display a message on the screen.

Thanks for clarifying. I remember, that 2010 I test drove did have DA package.

rovermark

Yes, I could not find that either.

I have to say that the way the Navi-Audio-Phone works is confusing and complicated. I've had my car for less than a week, and I have never had something so complicated to use for a long time - and I am NOT technologically challenged at all.

I pity all those elderly Mercedes drivers who have to make sense of it.

It does not help that the instruction manual does not give much in way of explanation of the features, just instructions to follow. (prescriptive, not descriptive)

rovermark

Pam sounds like a good idea, but I would be a little reluctant in putting Pam on the paintwork... what will happen in the sun? The oil may bake in or form a film on the car!

ImInPA

Firstly, you only use the PAMon the grill, and frontal areas...not all over the hood. Unless you are going to expose your vehicle to temperatures above say 375 degrees, it will simply keep the bugs, tar, and grime from adhering to the paint. Below about 400 degrees, it is perfectly stable. Far more stable than automotive waxes and polishes. It is a purely organic (vegetable oil) product that will have no reactions at all with paint, plastic, rubber, etc. It is safe for human consumption and environmentally friendly. It is far less likely to harm the paint or trim than the adhesives on the clear films (which are designed to bond to the finish.) As I said, I have used this technique for over 30 years and the only thing I have ever experienced is a smile when all of the accumulated road crap just rinsed off. You are more likely to do damage rubbing the bugs off. This time of year we are in "pot hole" repair mode in my area. Lots of fresh tar to be had. This works really well on keeping that tar from sticking too.